Abstract
Asylum seekers face unique challenges associated with their specific status in the countries where they seek protection. These challenges include, but are not limited to, their ongoing involvement with legal systems of international protection, their tenuous immigration status and associated stresses, a lack of support in destination countries, and separation from family members. These experiences, the absence of guaranteed government protections due to selective and hostile asylum regimes in Western countries, and the exclusion of this population from welfare systems result in their precarious legal status. Asylum regulations in a receiving country can impact asylum seekers’ access to essential support and services. Furthermore, experiences of trauma and loss, and liminality caused by protracted application processes, affect the mental health and the well-being of asylum seekers. Because of asylum seekers’ unique challenges and experiences, practitioners require specialized knowledge and skills to support them effectively. This chapter will provide an overview of asylum processes and policies, using the US and European countries as examples. This chapter will also explore these governments’ current responses, common challenges and needs of asylum seekers living in these countries, and best practices and specialized skill social workers who need to support these populations in an integrative way.
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Notes
- 1.
The BIA, a body within the US Department of Justice, hears appeals from asylum seekers whose cases were denied by immigration judges. BIA can overturn denials of asylum or side with immigration judges. In cases of BIA denial, asylum seekers can appeal in the US Court of Appeal for the Seventh Circuit (Hamlin, 2014).
- 2.
Technically, the United States is not a signatory to the 1951 Convention, but it adopted the Convention’s non-refoulement provision and is bound through the ratified 1967 Protocol (also, Cabo Verde and Venezuela are parties to the Protocol only). Around148 countries are signatories to one or both of these related instruments (UNHCR, 2011).
- 3.
See Chap. 3 “International Treaties, Conventions, and Laws on Forced Displacement” for a detailed description and explanations of these legal frameworks.
- 4.
Asylum officers at national borders and in detention centers conduct short “credible fear” interviews with potential asylum seekers who stated to Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers that they want to apply for asylum. These interviews aim to access “a significant possibility” of persecution based on the refugee definition and of torture that warrant a hearing before an immigrant judge USCIS (2021).
- 5.
In 2021, countries designated for TPS in the United States were El Salvador, Haiti, Honduras, Nepal, Nicaragua, Somalia, Sudan, South Sudan, Syria, Venezuela, and Yemen.
- 6.
Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxemburg, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, and Sweden, and the UK (left the EU in 2020).
- 7.
Due to the UK’s exit from the EU, the Dublin III does not apply in the UK as of January 2021. The new asylum procedures in the UK are being developed.
- 8.
The 2020–2021 COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the movement of migrants and refugees and caused many governments to shut down or significantly curtail operations of immigration offices and departments. Thus, the 2020 and 2021 numbers do not reflect general trends over time. Readers are encouraged to refer to the latest statistical information.
- 9.
Amnesty International reported, “The migration-related cooperation between Turkey and the EU culminated in a statement (henceforth, the EU-Turkey deal) on 18 March 2016. In essence it was simple. The deal aimed to return every person arriving irregularly on the Greek islands – including asylum-seekers – back to Turkey, while EU member states agreed to take one Syrian refugee from Turkey for every Syrian returned back to the country from the Greek islands. Returnees were to include not only migrants, but also those in need of international protection on the untrue, but willfully ignored, premise that Turkey is a safe country for refugees and asylum-seekers” (Amnesty International, 2017, p. 5).
- 10.
Unregulated migrants live and work in a host country without legal immigration status or with expired or invalidated visas.
- 11.
Many asylum seekers arrive to their destination countries individually, with family members left behind. The long asylum process can take years, while spouses and children may have to wait abroad. Some separations happen due to policies; for example, see Trump’s aforementioned “zero tolerance” or “Muslim ban” policies.
- 12.
“Public charge” in the US immigration law is described as an immigrant who is likely to extensively rely on public cash assistance or long-term care. Being a “public charge” prevents immigrants from applying for permanent residency. The Trump administration proposed to extend the definition to include the usage of public healthcare (“Medicaid”) and food assistance. This new proposal was vacated by the Biden administration.
- 13.
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Oren, T. (2023). Social Work Practice with Asylum Seekers. In: Murakami, N.J., Akilova, M. (eds) Integrative Social Work Practice with Refugees, Asylum Seekers, and Other Forcibly Displaced Persons. Essential Clinical Social Work Series. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-12600-0_16
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